precious

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpreciouspre‧cious1 /ˈpreʃəs/ ●●○ adjective1EMOTIONALsomething that is precious is valuable and important and should not be wasted or used without careprecious seconds/minutes/hours/timeWe cannot afford to waste precious time.planes delivering precious supplies of medicine and foodour planet’s precious resources2VALUErare and worth a lot of moneyprecious gem/stone/jewela statue covered with precious jewels3IMPORTANTprecious memories or possessions are important to you because they remind you of people you like or events in your lifeprecious toThe doll is cracked and worn, but it’s precious to me because it was my mother’s.► see thesaurus at valuable4[only before noun] spokenANNOY used to show that you are annoyed that someone seems to care too much about somethingI never touched your precious car!5spoken used to speak to someone you love, especially a baby or small childCome sit by me, precious.6American English spoken used in order to describe someone or something that is small and pretty syn cuteThe kids gave me that ornament. Isn’t it precious?7NATURAL formal too concerned about style or detail in your writing or speech, so that it does not seem naturalHis early work is rather precious and juvenile. —preciously adverb —preciousness noun [uncountable]COLLOCATIONSnounstimeMy time is precious, and I don't want to waste it.seconds/moments/minutes/hoursWe knew we only had a few more precious hours together.resourcesThe government has squandered the country’s precious resources.commodityWater is a precious commodity.assetThe organization’s most precious asset is its staff.giftHer illness made her appreciate more the precious gift of life.